Student support

Abstract

The Student Services Department within the Directorate for Educational Services offers a variety of support and educational services for students. Student Services are aimed at assisting all learners in achieving optimal educational, social, emotional, personal, interpersonal, and career development. The mission of the Student Services Department is to assist learners in managing life situations more effectively and acquiring the necessary key competences, so as to attain their curricular performance goals, while developing holistically as a person. In the course of the negotiations leading to the Agreement between the Government and the Malta Union of Teachers on the education reform process signed on the 17 July, 2007, the Government and the Union agreed that for the better performance of the students’ learning outcomes and the Teachers’ duties, students may need to be supported by a range of students’ support services in and outside class, including the support of the students’ parents. The Government and the Union have discussed in detail a range of student services. Whilst the Government gave full consideration to the Union’s points of view and suggestions, the Government and the Union agreed that such support will be of great benefit to the student and will also sustain the teacher’s role. The Education Authorities intend to provide such services throughout the calendar year and the Union agreed to fully support and collaborate in the development and implementation of such services according to the job descriptions provided by the Education Authorities for the professionals working in these services. For this purpose the Education Authorities will be engaging qualified personnel as may be necessary to man the required positions in a range of psychosocial services on a College basis including Psychologists, Counsellors, Career Advisors, Social Workers, Prefects of Discipline, Youth Workers as well as personnel and services in the inclusive and special education and the medical and psychiatric sectors. Guidelines detailing the nature of the student services the Education Authorities intend to put in place are found in this document. This document outlines the new framework of student services the Education Authorities intend to gradually put in place in order to offer and improve student services in schools.